Geologists Detect Vast Unexplored Underground Oceans

One of the recurring tropes of science fiction is the discovery of hidden underground human societies or untouched ecosystems full of bizarre, otherworldly creatures. Now that we have explored nearly every corner of the Earth and have satellites peering down on us from above, deep underground environments represent some of the last frontiers on Earth. While a few recent developments have come close to making the discovery of these hidden mysteries a reality, the technological requirements of getting humans deep into the Earth keep much subterranean exploration just out of our reach. However, a recent study published in the geology journal Lithos has revealed that the Earth might in fact be home to massive underground oceans likely containing unknown forms of life.

[…] we report the first direct evidence for water-bearing fluids in the uppermost lower mantle from natural ferropericlase crystal contained within a diamond from São Luíz, Brazil. The ferropericlase exhibits exsolution of magnesioferrite, which places the origin of this assemblage in the uppermost part of the lower mantle.

According to lead researcher Steve Jacobsen of Northwestern University, the presence of the flaw indicates that the Earth likely contains underground oceans as deep as 1000 kilometers (~600 miles) below the surface, which if confirmed could revolutionize our understanding of plate tectonics:

This is the deepest evidence for water recycling on the planet. The big take-home message is that the water cycle on Earth is bigger than we ever thought, extending into the deep mantle. Water clearly has a role in plate tectonics, and we didn’t know before how deep these effects could reach. It has implications for the origin of water on the planet.

These untouched waters could reveal just how little we know about life on Earth.

While discovering new forms of life elsewhere in the universe would be incredible, there are still many untouched places on Earth which are easier to reach and could show us just what life is capable of.